Help with MA new "readme" file...

[JohnWho]

Originally posted by Dale:

Not that it's vitally important, but for completeness it would be nice if the readme.txt said what the "unregistered" limits on the fish are. Did you happen to observe that?  

Yes, I have a spot for that in my "draft" copy.

Limited to only the top line of fish, no more than 3 of each, and you need to learn how to type "testfish"?

Anything else?

Oddly, I can't find this in writing anywhere.

Perhaps I haven't searched in the right place(s)?

[Dale]

Originally posted by JohnWho:

Yes, I have a spot for that in my "draft" copy.

Limited to only the top line of fish, no more than 3 of each, and you need to learn how to type "testfish"?

Anything else?

Oddly, I can't find this in writing anywhere.

Perhaps I haven't searched in the right place(s)?  

I fuzzily recall that there's some mention of some limit somewhere in this forum, but (like you) I couldn't figure out a good set of search parameters.

The only thing I can find is a discussion of why the limit isn't 3 fish (total).

I suspect that only Jim can provide a comprehensive list of the Testfish limitations (or perhaps Morgan, now that he does tech support).

[Dale]

I finally figured out how to deconvolve this:

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

If Music was already on when you brought up the Playlist panel, then it will still be on when you exit the panel, no matter what you have done with the Play or Stop buttons.
If Music was off when you entered the Playlist panel, pressing Play will turn Music on until you hit Stop. If you don't hit Stop, Music will be on until you turn it off in Program Settings or hit "M".  

Music can only be turned OFF using the Program Settings check box or toggling the M key.
Music can be turned ON using either of those, and also by using the Music Playlist Play control.

I'm not sure that helps your readme.txt efforts, but it "unconfused" me.

[Jim Sachs]

Yes, similar to the way Show Crystal can be turned on (but not off) in the Logo Playlist.

[Dale]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Yes, similar to the way Show Crystal can be turned on (but not off) in the Logo Playlist.  

The (new) implementation on the Logo Playlist panel is elegant and clearly implemented.

Could the same general implementation be applied to the Music Playlist panel?

[Jim Sachs]

Maybe.

[JohnWho]

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

Yes, similar to the way Show Crystal can be turned on (but not off) in the Logo Playlist.  

I'm not seeing this ability in the Logo Playlist.

[JohnWho]

Originally posted by Dale:

I finally figured out how to deconvolve this:



Music can only be turned OFF using the Program Settings check box or toggling the M key.
Music can be turned ON using either of those, and also by using the Music Playlist Play control.

I'm not sure that helps your readme.txt efforts, but it "unconfused" me.  

Yeah, I'm less confused now, too.

Easiest to document would be if in the Music Playlist, "Play" and "Stop" only had an effect while in the Music Playlist screen.

This way, the master setting in Program Settings would not be altered either way.

However, once all the dust settles, and we have the final "this is how it will be" 11(x), I'll make the Readme reflect these things accordingly.

[Jim Sachs]

OK, I've implemented it the same way as the LogoList screen.

[Dale]

Originally posted by JohnWho:

I'm not seeing this ability in the Logo Playlist.  

Have you found it yet?

Turn "show crystal" off in the Program Settings, and then open the Logo Playlist panel. Presto! It warns you that the crystal isn't going to be shown unless you (click here) turn it on.

If "show crystal" is on, there's no need to say anything in the Logo Playlist panel, so you can't see it.

Rather elegant implementation.

[JohnWho]

Got it, thanks.

In that case, having that same thing happen in the Logo Playlist makes perfect, and consistant, sense.

[Dale]

Per your request:

Did you lose the original "Guitar" music and want it back?

First, find your MA3 folder. It's usually (on Vista or Windows 7):
C:\Users\YOURACCOUNTNAME\AppData\Roaming\Marine Aquarium 3\

Find the file named MA3Playlist.lst

Now, you have two choices:

1. If you have other music in your Playlist that you want to keep, and just want to add the Guitar music, then:
Open the MAA3Playlist.lst file with an editor
Add one new line that contains just the name of the song, which is CanonGuitar.sgt
Save the results of your editing.
When MA3 next runs, it will play the Guitar music along with all of your other music.

2A. If you don't care to save anything that might have been in your playlist (or if it's empty), then:
Just delete the MA3Playlist.lst file
When MA3 next runs, it will play the Guitar music.

2B. Actually, if you have other things in your playlist, and you want to get rid of all of them and just have the Guitar music, there's an easier way. Just "Remove" all of the other music. An empty playlist tells MA3 to play the Guitar music.

[Editorial footnote: I tried to figure out how to get 2B before any of the other stuff, but couldn't make it read correctly. Perhaps you will have better luck.]

[JohnWho]

OK, thanks.

I'll rework it to match the format I'm using somewhat, and put it in the "Troubleshooting" section which remains mostly as it's been in the old "readme". I didn't feel that I should change this section and other than slight phrase changes or reference to Windows 7, I've left it alone.

I'm off to find the MA3Playlist.lst file.

I do notice that even with a totally empty Playlist, if you turn Music "on", CanonGuitar.sgt will play.

[JohnWho]

Dang, just noticed you can do it within the Music Playlist screen, too.

Just choose "add" and then navigate to:

(Win XP)

C:\Documents and Settings\"your account name"\Application Data\Marine Aquarium 3\

(Vista & Win 7)

C:\Users\"youraccountname"\AppData\Roaming\Marine Aquarium 3\


and it shows up "CanonGuitar.sgt" just like any other supported music file.

Much easier.

Probably better than explaining the "edit file" method, at least in the "readme".

I would suggest that the "edit file" method be added in the FAQ info on either or both the SereneScreen and this Forum's pages though as the FAQs should provide more detail and some of these behind the scenes "tricks", in my opinion.

[Dale]

Originally posted by JohnWho:

I do notice that even with a totally empty Playlist, if you turn Music "on", CanonGuitar.sgt will play.  

See item 2B in my writeup.

Originally posted by JohnWho:

Dang, just noticed you can do it within the Music Playlist screen, too.

Just choose "add" and then navigate to:

(Win XP)

C:\Documents and Settings\"your account name"\Application Data\Marine Aquarium 3\

(Vista & Win 7)

C:\Users\"youraccountname"\AppData\Roaming\Marine Aquarium 3\


and it shows up "CanonGuitar.sgt" just like any other supported music file.

Much easier.  

It would be if that file existed. But it doesn't get created with recent versions. Not exactly sure when that happened, but if you have that file, it's a "leftover" from some previous version.

[JohnWho]

Yeah, now that you point it out, I checked my other PC and the file is not there. Drat.

Is a blank playlist that plays CanonGuitar a bug?

@ Jim -

if you would insure that "CanonGuitar.sgt" is installed in the same folder where MA3playlist.lst and MA3logolist.lst is, it would make life easier for folks to "recover" the CanonGuitar.sgt file.

[Dale]

Originally posted by JohnWho:

Yeah, now that you point it out, I checked my other PC and the file is not there. Drat.

Is a blank playlist that plays CanonGuitar a bug?

@ Jim -

if you would insure that "CanonGuitar.sgt" is installed in the same folder where MA3playlist.lst and MA3logolist.lst is, it would make life easier for folks to "recover" the CanonGuitar.sgt file.  

I don't consider the "blank playlist" thing to be a bug, but only Jim can tell us for sure.

At one time, the presence of a CanonGuitar.sgt actual file was considered to be a bug.

For some (interesting?) historical background, start around post #32 in:

https://www.feldoncentral.com/forums...?t=4850&page=2

Originally posted by Jim Sachs:

I do seem to recall that in very early versions I was actually copying the file to the computer. Maybe those are still hanging around on some people's computers.

Everyone should just delete CanonGuitar.sgt if found.  

[JohnWho]

Yeah, I've now read through that.

The "CanonGuitar.sgt" playing when the playlist is blank and music is "on" is apparently a "design feature", or, as we used to call them when I worked with a software house - an "undocumented non-feature".

In any case, if that's the way it works, then that's the way I'll say it works in the readme.

In the words of some wiser-than-I man - "so shall it be, so it is written" (apologies to Yul Brenner in "The King and I").

[Dale]

Originally posted by JohnWho:

The "CanonGuitar.sgt" playing when the playlist is blank and music is "on" is apparently a "design feature", or, as we used to call them when I worked with a software house - an "undocumented non-feature".  

I once had a vendor tell me that their buggy software was "working as coded".

That was before "Doh!" became a catchphrase, but I'm sure I said something similar.

[Jim Sachs]

The music playlist interface and the logo playlist interface are nearly identical internally. They both have a default file to play if the list is empty. If you delete everything in the list, exit Settings, then go back into Settings, both those interfaces should have their default filename listed. After a cursory look at the code, it's not obvious why the Logo list shows the default logo, but the Music list does not show the default music. I'll have to dig deeper, but I'm still working on the Framerate stuff.